This is the U.S. National Stage of Japanese International Application PCT/JP01/08764, which was filed in the Japanese language on Oct. 4, 2001, and which designated the U.S.
The present invention generally relates to a semiconductor manufacturing technique and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method of processing a semiconductor manufacturing substrate while supplying a temperature controlled water or chemical fluid to a body of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that is provided in a clean room.
Generally it is known that a lithography related process in a semiconductor manufacturing process (specifically, a semiconductor-circuit manufacturing process) gives large influence to an yield of a product due to conditions of a clean room, which is a manufacturing environment, for example, fluctuation in temperature and humidity. Simultaneously, it is important to control a temperature of chemical fluids and a temperature of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer) in a resist application and development process. For this reason, in a temperature control in a lithography process using a temperature-controlled water referred to as a production cooling water, it is required that the temperature of a chemical fluid or a wafer should be controlled to fall within a fixed range, for example, 23xc2x10.1xc2x0 C.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional example of a temperature-controlled-water supply system of an application and development apparatus, which is one of semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses. The application and development apparatus 1 is installed in a clean room CR. For example, a chemical fluid 12 is supplied from a chemical fluid tank 11 to a liquid processing unit 10 such as a resist application unit or a development unit. Additionally, a cooling water 13 is supplied so as to adjust a temperature of the chemical fluid 12 to an atmosphere temperature of the clean room CR. The cooling water 13 discharged from the liquid processing unit 10 is returned to a temperature control facility 14, and is again supplied to the liquid processing unit 10 by a pump P.
The temperature control facility 14 is provided on a floor different from the clean room CR, such as in a basement (in FIG. 1, it is shown as if arranged beside the clean room CR for the sake of convenience). The temperature control facility 14 is provided with a chiller unit containing a heat exchanger for heat exchange of the temperature-controlled water with a primary cooling water. Moreover, the temperature control facility 14 may be installed in the clean room CR as shown in FIG. 2.
In addition, a fan-filter unit 15 is provided on a ceiling section of the clean room CR, and an air circulation path 16 is provided so as to return air from a floor section to the ceiling section of the clean room CR. Moreover, an air-cooling facility 17 is provided to the air circulation path, and an external control unit 18 is provided so as to introduce an atmospheric air into the clean room CR.
Since the temperature-control range of the chemical fluids or wafers used for a lithography process is less than 23xc2x10.1xc2x0 C., for example, an amount of heat processed by the cooling water per unit time is very small. Nevertheless, a large-scaled temperature control facility has been used to carry out the temperature control of the cooling water, which has been one of causes that obstruct energy and cost reduction in operation of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.
Moreover, when the temperature control facility 14 is installed in the clean room CR, a primary cooling water pump, etc., serves as a heat source. For this reason, the heat dissipation from a pump is added to the cooling load (an amount of heat removed from air by the air-cooling facility 17) of a clean room, which has been one of causes of increase in a cooling cost.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved and useful semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and semiconductor manufacturing method in which the above-mentioned problems are eliminated.
A more specific object of the present invention is to reduce a scale of a facility for controlling the temperature of the temperature-controlled water supplied to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.
Another object of the present invention is to reduce facilities related to a temperature-controlled water for controlling the temperature of a chemical fluid when processing a semiconductor manufacturing substrate by the chemical fluid.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, there is provided according to the present invention a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising: a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus body provided in a clean room; a circulation water path which circulates a temperature-controlled water supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus body; and a heat exchange section which performs a heat exchange between the temperature-controlled water in the circulation water path and air of said clean room so as to equalize a temperature of the temperature-controlled water to a temperature of the air in the clean room.
In general, a semiconductor manufacturing plant comprises a clean room, an air circulation path for returning an air exhausted from a floor section of the clean room to the clean room through a ceiling section and an air cooling facility provided to the air circulation path, and the heat exchange section is provided, for example, in one of an area above said ceiling section where a circulation air from said air circulation path passes through, a location on a downstream side of said air cooling facility in said air circulation path and a location under said ceiling section where there is no influence of other heat sources so as to perform a heat exchange between the temperature-controlled water in the circulation water path and air of said clean room to equalize a temperature of the temperature-controlled water to a temperature of the air in the clean room. Additionally, a temperature-controlled water tank and water supply means may be provided in the middle of the circulation water path. The temperature-controlled water may be used for controlling a temperature of a chemical fluid in a fluid processing unit which processes a semiconductor manufacturing substrate. Or the temperature-controlled water may pass through a temperature control unit, which controls a temperature of the semiconductor manufacturing substrate.
According to the invention, since there is no need to use a large apparatus such as a chiller unit, which is a conventionally used incidental facility equipment, a facility scale can be reduced, and an energy consumed when the facility is operated, such as an energy of a primary cooling water pump, can be saved and an operation cost can be reduced.
Additionally, there is provided according to another aspect of the present invention a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising: a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus body provided in a clean room and having a fluid processing unit which processes a semiconductor manufacturing substrate by a chemical fluid; a chemical fluid supply source; a chemical fluid supply path for supplying the chemical fluid of the chemical fluid supply source to said fluid processing unit; and a heat exchange section provided in an atmosphere in the clean room so as to perform a heat exchange between the chemical fluid in the chemical fluid supply path and air of said clean room so as to equalize a temperature of the chemical fluid to a temperature of the air in the clean room. In this case also the heat exchange section can be provided in the locations explained in the above-mentioned invention. In this invention, a circulation water path may be provided for circulating the chemical fluid between said chemical fluid supply source and the heat exchange section, and the chemical fluid supply path may be branched from the circulation water path. According to this invention, since a temperature-controlled water supply facility is unnecessary and a large apparatus for controlling a temperature of the chemical fluid is unnecessary, an attempt can be made to further reduce a facility scale, save consumed energy and reduce a cost. Here, xe2x80x9cequalize a temperaturexe2x80x9d in the phrase xe2x80x9cequalize a temperature of the chemical fluid to a temperature of the air of the clean roomxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cequalize a temperature of the temperature-controlled water a temperature of the air of the clean roomxe2x80x9d means equalizing to substantially the same temperature which does not influence the processxe2x80x9d.
Additionally, the present invention can be realized for a semiconductor manufacturing method, and the method may comprise a step of processing a semiconductor manufacturing substrate while supplying a temperature-controlled water to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus provided in a clean room; and a step of adjusting said temperature-controlled water to be the same temperature with air of the clean room by using the air of the clean room prior to be supplied to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.
Additionally, another method of the present invention may comprise a step of conveying a semiconductor manufacturing substrate into a fluid processing unit provided in a clean room; a step of fluid-processing the substrate by supplying a chemical fluid to said fluid processing unit; and a step of adjusting said chemical fluid to be the same temperature as air of the clean room by using the air of the clean room before supplying to said fluid processing unit.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.